An Hour Too Late
by BladeOfSpirit
Summary: Masaomi is late to pick up Mikado from the train station when he first arrives to Ikebukuro. As a result, Izaya makes his move to bring the boy to his side faster than anyone could anticipate. What will happen to Ikebukuro as a result? Rated T for now, rating may go up.
1. Chapter 1

An Hour Too Late

Summary: Masaomi Kida was generally on time for any event or outing he planned. He was like this to 'please the ladies', as he put it. However, in this instance, he sleeps in for an extra hour...on the day that his best friend, Mikado Ryuugamine, arrives at Ikebukuro. Taking advantage of this 'misfortune', Izaya Orihara makes his move, and brings the young man closer to him much faster than anyone could anticipate.

Well, I'm a huge Durarara! fan, so I thought I'd write a fanfiction about it...although it may seem like an emulation of the series at the start, I plan on diverging from the plot. One of the changes in this chapter is that the Entrance Exams for Raira were not taken three months before Mikado's arrival in Ikebukuro, but instead, taken a week before the beginning of term. In Japan, I believe that is April 21st, but I may be wrong. Mika will not know of Seiji just yet, and Seiji hasn't broken into his sister's lab yet. Anyway, it's my first story here, so I hope you all enjoy! -bow-

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Prologue: Arrival

The light clacking of a silver train that held black streaks zooming along it's track had been the only sound that could be heard sans for the various creatures that were making themselves known to those that listened long enough, as the sky's light coloring began to fade away into the darkness that was night's steady approach, preparing to plunge the area in black. The winds had died down, and not even they dared to stir in this moment, as the metallic giant cleared through a small patch of woods. Although they were slightly tinted, the passengers could see the scenery transition with ease; Forests, plains, and even the occasional town. It was quite lovely to most of the occupants of the train, as silence reigned over them. It was a sense of peace and quiet...something that those riding the train to Ikebukuro would not have the opportunity to enjoy for a long while...after all, it was quite the prominent city. The lack of sound gave those aboard time to think, time to reflect on their traveling decisions, and time to plan everything out without making hasty choices...Basically, it was a generic thought process that happened every day. No excitement.

One of the passengers aboard, Mikado Ryuugamine, held great disdain for this truth. It wasn't unique...wasn't something that could generate interest...it was simply an existing thought process. For Mikado, this was the absolute definition of worthlessness. Existing without a unique purpose, unable to further one's self into new exciting things...rather it be talking to a stranger, or getting into a fight. Mikado was the type that constantly wanted something to happen...even if it wasn't convenient. He was easily bored by 'daily life', and thus, made the decision to travel out of his home town of Saitama. He had boarded the train about three hours ago, after receiving a fond farewell from his parents and neighbors.

The boy was very plain in terms of physique, with a slim build and dark, mildly spiked hair. His eyes, which were a shimmering cerulean, seemed to be the only thing that stood out about him aside from his name. Mikado himself currently wore a white jacket with green arms, along with long black pants. Unlike most of the people, whom had come with several bags of luggage, the dark haired child had but one brown leather bag with him. He had most of his clothes folded neatly within, his wallet, and a cell-phone. It was a modest packing, much like the boy himself. For Mikado, although seeking excitement and a fast-paced life within Ikebukuro, was mild-mannered and shy. If one were to compare the boy's personality to his dreams, many would laugh it off and call the boy a walking contradiction, which was something Mikado whole-heartedly agreed with, even if it was grudgingly.

As for his choice of destination, Mikado had two reasons for picking Ikebukuro. One was for the obvious change of scenery, having lived in a small town where everyone was kind with upstanding morals, well, a good portion of the populace anyway. Mikado still held a small grudge against some of his hopefully soon-to-be former classmates for teasing him. The second, was Masaomi Kida. Masaomi was his best friend that had moved away with his parents when he was ten, leaving an emotionally distraught Mikado...he had grown attached after all, and Masaomi was quite entertaining and kind...so imagine Mikado's joy when one day, Masaomi invited Mikado to Ikebukuro to stay with him. His parents travelled quite a lot, so they personally preferred that their child had some company. With Mikado being as polite as he was, they were hard pressed to decline their son's choice. Meanwhile, Mikado's parents were against the idea with every fiber of their being. Their reasoning was because although they were strict, they loved their child and wanted what was best for him...which they thought keeping him with them would be. However, after days of arguing and pleading, Mikado's father had relented, and given his son a condition. If he could pass Raira Academy's entrance exams and continue his schooling with Masaomi, they would permit him to go and stay with the living ball of energy. With this as motivation, Mikado had retreated to his room for most of the summer, studying various subjects of not only his grade, but the grades above, and memorizing them so he could easily pass the exam. Masaomi was slightly worried, because he said he heard the exams were a nightmare, mainly because the school was outstanding and only wanted those whom took their education seriously to enter it's halls.

With that in mind, not even his religious studying had satisfied Mikado's fears when he had approached the ticket master. Quickly stuttering out what he wanted, he quickly swapped the money for the ticket and bowed before scurrying off, much to the ticket master's amusement. Luckily, he didn't have to sit on the hard benches for long, for his train was departing shortly. However, his worry was soon replaced by excitement, because he knew Masaomi would be waiting for him at the 'end of the line'. After all, it was the first thing they talked about after Mikado had eaten dinner yesterday. Masaomi expressed his want to take his best friend on a tour around Ikebukuro, stating that he knew all of the best places to 'pick up chicks', and that he hoped that Mikado would finally 'man up and get some'. Although flustered, there was agreement, and their conversation continued for a few more hours before Masaomi said he had other things to do.

Grinning a bit, the blue eyed boy leaned back into the soft, cushioned seat of the train. It was rather surprising, seeing as he had imagined them to be metallic and uncomfortable. It was one of the few times that the boy had been glad to be wrong about something, even if it was a slight sting to his pride. Letting his gleeful orbs gaze through the windows and stare at the cloudless sky, Mikado took in the beauty of the moon before it fully ascended, watching it move at a nearly unnoticed pace. Giving one more content sigh, Mikado broke his gaze from the window. Letting his eyes flutter closed, he melted into the seat as his muscles relaxed...but didn't dare sleep during the ride.

Thus, began Mikado's wait for the train to arrive in Ikebukuro. Seconds transitioned to minutes, and minutes into an hour. There was nothing for Mikado to do but look out of the window, which he had already grown bored of. Listening to the other passengers and observing them from the corner of his eye also proved to be pointless, seeing as the only ones on the train aside from him were either sleeping or clacking away on their laptops...which Mikado was unfortunate enough to not be able to do either. As he began scowling because of his irritation, the intercom blared to life with a young woman's voice, which was slightly distorted. "Good evening passengers. We're now arriving in Ikebukuro's Tobu Tojo Line. Please retrieve your luggage from overhead, and thank you for riding with us today."

As the intercom went dead after delivering it's message, Mikado's head perked up with anticipation, and he gleefully shot up from his seat, resisting the urge to begin giggling at the prospect that he would soon be in Ikebukuro. As he did this, he slowly came back down to earth as he took in all of the stares he was receiving. A red hue quickly scrawling across his face, he sat down rather fast, and hung his head low. 'That was so lame and embarrassing...they probably all think I'm a weirdo now...' Mikado thought, feeling thoroughly humiliated by acting like a small child.

An elderly woman seemed to understand the boy's plight, for she had gotten up from her seat by her husband, and grasped her oak cane firmly. The clack of the wood could be heard against the train, and as Mikado let his head rise, he took in the appearance of the small thin woman that looked to be in her sixties whom had plopped down next to him. Her silvery-blond hair was tied up into a bun in the back, and her eyes were relaxed, containing soft obsidian orbs. She had a grandmotherly smile etched onto her face, despite the slight accentuation it gave her wrinkles. She had worn a pink kimono with white flowers on it, and a white jacket that was draped over her shoulders.

"Hello there dearie...my name is Aria, and you look a tad bit troubled...maybe this old woman can help you, eh?" She offered, her tone polite yet firm. Mikado simply gulped a bit, and whispered something under his breath. Aria raised her eyebrow a bit, before playfully placing a hand to her ear. "You know sonny, my hearing isn't what it used to be...could you perhaps speak up?"

"I'm M-Mikado...Mikado Ryuugamine...and I said I-I'm scared a bit..." Mikado admitted, trying to meet the woman's eyes but failing, staring down at his hands. "I'm going to a new place, and with what I just did, I'm afraid I might do something stupid in Ikebukuro and end up in a bad situation..." With that, Aria giggled just a bit before clasping her right hand on Mikado's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze as she tried to tilt her head to see his cerulean pools. Meanwhile, Mikado was a bit shocked he had admitted all of this to a complete stranger, and was currently going over the pros and cons of the situation inside of his mind.

"You needn't be so worried!" Aria exclaimed, getting Mikado's attention, before repeating herself, "You musn't worry about this here city you're going to. Ikebukuro isn't nearly as dangerous as some of the people make it out to be, and from what I can tell, you're a smart young man." With that, she flashed him a toothy grin, pumping her fist in the air. "Why, when I was your age, I was just a foolish young thing, running about through the city, going to various shindigs and such...but it was in Ikebukuro's own Sunshine Street where I met my husband over there...so just make the right decisions, and you're bound to find your own happiness." Without giving him a chance to reply, she hobbled back over to her seat.

Mulling over Aria's words, Mikado nodded to himself. 'I know I can make the right choices...and besides, I'll have Kida-kun to help me, right? Yeah...he's pretty street-smart, so he can be of use. I will stay out of trouble...while enjoying the city at my own pace...' His fears slowly began to recede as he held onto the last sentence like a mantra, but Mikado knew that such peace for him would not last long once he actually got out of the train. As capable as he'd like to think he was, Mikado knew that he was quite nervous when it came to new people in an area he had no familiarity with. He knew it would be a struggle for him to get through the train station on his own, much less trying to find his old friend whom he had no idea of what he looked like now. That thought slowly began to put Mikado into panic mode once more...'What if he isn't able to identify me either...?'

As he was lost in his thoughts, Mikado didn't even notice the train's speed diminish, before coming to a complete stop. All of the passengers began to pack up their things, and head for one of the doors that were available within their compartment. It wasn't until Aria tapped him on the shoulder to wave good bye, did he notice that he was finally at Ikebukuro. Struggling to push down the nervousness that began to swell in his chest, Mikado grasped his bag tightly, and made his way to the middle door, taking a deep breath.

"Well...here I am..."

As he exhaled, Mikado took a gentle step onto the platform, and was instantly thrown into the scrambling mess of people that seemed to file through every direction as the trains delivered and received passengers. Biting his bottom lip, Mikado tried his hardest not to be pushed around as much, even shoving a few people back with a hurried apology. Not wanting to be caught in this mess any longer, Mikado hurried over to one of the various pillars that supported the station from underground. Still winding down from the anxiety that had developed, the boy slumped down onto the cement floor, back resting against the pillar.

'Kida-kun...where are you?' Mikado whimpered inside his mind, staring out into the numerous clusters of people that were in motion, and those that stayed stationary. There was no sign of anyone noticing him, in fact, people seemed to be ignoring him as if he didn't exist. It was almost insulting, had Mikado not appreciated the gesture. 'Please...don't just leave me here like this...I don't want to have to go back to Saitama...' If he even made it back...after all, now the raven's mind began to go through scenarios where one of the color gangs snatched him up...nobody would ever know. Well, aside from his parents, Masaomi, and his two online friends...

Their names were 'Setton' and 'Kanra', and they were both on a chat site that Mikado frequented. They actually met a few years ago, when Mikado was thirteen...and they just stood out to each other, mainly because most of the members in the public forum lacked any sort of intelligence, and they quickly bored Mikado with their simple-mindedness. Kanra was rather eccentric, but knew a lot of information, which Mikado found amusing...while Setton was more quiet, but had a sage-like wisdom about them. Overall, they were two of Mikado's favorite people to socialize with. They had even chatted late at night, before he had gone to bed...

_[Yesterday (Saturday, April 12, 2008), 23:15]_

**-TarouTanaka has entered the chat!-**

**TarouTanaka:** Hey guys! What's up?

**Setton:** Oh nothing...just lazing about after a day of work.

**Kanra:** UUUUWWWWWAAAAAAAAAA! Kanra-chan has been waiting for you, Tarou-kun! Setton isn't being very nice to Kanra-chan! \( TAT )/

**Setton:** And how am I being mean to you -this time-..?

**Kanra:** You aren't being interesting!

**TarouTanaka:** Friends shouldn't have to be interesting for you to enjoy their company, Kanra-chan. You could easily be as boring as you're claiming Setton-san has been.

**Setton:** Believe me, you don't know the half of it...

**TarouTanaka:** See?

**Kanra:** Both of you are against poor Kanra-chan? Meanies! I'm leaving you both, depriving you of my awesomeness!

**-Kanra has left the chat!-**

**Setton:** Let's countdown...3

**TarouTanaka:** 2

**-Kanra has entered the chat!-**

**Kanra: **I thought I had punished you two enough. I need a hug now! (/ ^A^)/

**TarouTanaka:** Anyway, I have big news!

**Setton:** Oh? What is it, Tarou-kun?

**Kanra:** Yeah, hopefully it's more interesting than Setton-san's fear of aliens...

**Setton:** Shut it, okay! They're weird...I can't help but be afraid of them!

**TarouTanaka:** As I was saying, I am moving to Ikebukuro tomorrow. You both told me you lived near that area, right?

**Setton:** I actually live _in_ Ikebukuro, Tarou-kun. It's quite the interesting city.

**Kanra:** I, unfortunately, do not live in the glorious city! ( T.T ) However, I still hear plenty of rumors about the town itself.

**TarouTanaka:** Think you two can give the newbie some insight?

**Setton:** Well, sure...what do you want to know?

**TarouTanaka:** Anything is fine, really. Just something to get me all hyped up...

**Kanra:** Well, there are plenty of things for that...The Color Gangs, the Yakuza, Superhuman People, and...the Black Rider!

**TarouTanaka:** The first two sound believable...but what about the latter two?

**Kanra:** There are quite a few people in Ikebukuro with strange abilities...such as Simon Brezhnev, or Shizuo Heiwajima. They both have monstrous strength...but Shizuo is even worse, because he goes into random fits of rage! He throws vending machines, stop signs, and there are rumors he once threw a car at someone!

**TarouTanaka:** Yikes...I'm actually sort of terrified now...but what about the Black Rider? That sounds kind of spooky...like a monster movie thing...

**Kanra:** That's actually very spot on...most people think the Black Rider is some sort of ghost or demon...they say it rides around on a pitch black motorcycle, that doesn't make engine sounds but instead sounds like a banshee...there is also one other thing...

**Kanra:** They say the Black Rider doesn't have a head...

**TarouTanaka:** That's absurd...there is no way that can be true!

**Setton: **Indeed...that would make the Black Rider inhuman...and there would be much more suspicion if it were true.

**Kanra:** Enough about that, though. When is Tarou-kun going to be at Ikebukuro, and where is he arriving? Maybe I can meet him sometime! \(^o~)/

**TarouTanaka:** I'm actually going to be there sometime at night, at Tobo Toju. It was cheap, so I went with it...

**Kanra:** Yay! Maybe once you get settled, you can invite Kanra-chan over?

**TarouTanaka:** Maybe...anyway, I have to go now. Big day ahead. Night guys!

**Setton:** Look at that, Kanra...you scared Tarou-kun off. Anyway, night!

**Kanra:** Bye Tarou-kunnnnnnnnn~

**-TarouTanaka has left the chat!-**

_[Present Day (Sunday, April 13, 2008), 20:32]_

Grinning as he reminisced, the blue-eyed boy felt a level of calm as he thought about his online friends. It wasn't exactly enough to stop him from having negative thoughts, but at least now, he had a level of mental clarity so that he could plan logically instead of acting on his fearful emotions. By now, some people began to leave the station, most traveling in groups of two or more. There were quite a few that stayed within the station though. Tilting his head towards the side a bit as he adopted a curious expression, Mikado began to scope out some of the people that were still there. Maybe he would find some hint of Masaomi if he searched hard enough.

Unfortunately for Mikado, there were plenty of people around the station that were either his age, or looked young enough to pass for his age. It was actually starting to become an annoyance for him...he was not fond of being made wait for another person if there was no reason given. The idea that he had been ditched started to slink about in the back of the Saitama native's head, whispering things that only seemed to strengthen his anger. Masaomi was not here as he promised he would be. Mikado was alone in a city he did not know. It felt like he had been 'fed to the wolves' so to say.

Mikado couldn't just leave the station though. He knew that he would probably end up getting lost in the winding roads and various intersections. Masaomi could show up at any moment, and Mikado didn't want to miss his friend's arrival...no matter how pissed he may or may not be. Besides, if he were to venture of on his own without any preparation, he could end up stumbling into some gang's territory and get himself killed rather easily. 'No no no!' Mikado yelled at himself, whimpering slightly as his imagination began to get ahead of him. 'None of those thoughts...or else I'll be too scared to even leave this spot...'

As he continued to observe the people, he began to panic as he continued to notice the more...dangerous looking individuals. In particular, he noticed a group of three thugs chatting in one of the corners, each with sinister grins as the taller one talked on a cellphone. The taller one had chestnut colored hair that was parted on the right with a single bang hanging down, and sharp slate eyes that were behind half-circle glasses. He was wearing a black button up shit and a dull yellow jacket, with black pants that were held up by a silver belt. The middle one was a bit on the heavier side, with spiked brown hair and beady black eyes. He had a purple over shirt with teal stripes on the torso and shoulders, with tan slacks. The last one was rather short, with dark orange hair and wide eyes to match. His attire consisted of a pink sweatshirt and jeans. The taller one hung up his cell phone abruptly, before speaking with his friends. The middle one snorted and took out a cigarette and lighter, before fingering what appeared to be a knife handle that was sticking out of his pocket. The short one just cackled a bit and bounced off, leading Mikado to believe that he was not only higher than a kite, but had probably torn it on his way up.

Suddenly, the taller one seemed to meet his gaze, and a smirk overcame his face. Motioning for his friends to follow, he began to stride over to Mikado's position, his grin increasing all the while. Reaching him within a few moments, the Raira-hopeful froze as the smell of cigarette smoke and alcohol reached his nostrils. Feeling the strong urge to vomit, he recoiled a bit when the tall man contorted his smirk into a gentle smile, and bowed. "Ah, I noticed you over here all alone, and wondered if we could be of assistance. We're regulars around Ikebukuro, and we haven't seen you around, so we figured that along with you being at a train station...you must be new." The tall man spoke, before giving a small bow, "Ah, forgive my manners. My name is Nakura, and my friends here," he gestured to the heavyset man with his left hand, "are Kitomaru," then he gestured to the smaller with his right, "and Bozu. Whom might you be?"

Mikado contemplated his next actions carefully. He could give his real name, but then if they decided to do something, and he were to run off, they would have his name to track him down. However, if he gave a fake name, and they caught him and took his I.D., they would know he lied and probably kill him for it. There was really nothing he could do to fight them all off, either. There was also the fact that the station's occupancy had dwindled down fast, and many people were not looking in his general direction, so they could easily kill him...It was almost as if fate had really decided to piss on him today. The middle one seemed to grin as he began to slip out his knife, letting Mikado see the shining steel as it was withdrawn.

'No...I will not comply...' Mikado thought, tensing up as he began to regulate his breathing, trying to even his body out as much as he could without letting it tense up. 'I refuse to die in such a meaningless way...to have my existence ended like this, by this trash...but what should I do...' This was quite the question. He could try to get the attention of other people, but then again, he would only have a split second if he screamed. That wouldn't be enough in a station where there were various noises all about. There seemed to really be only one logical choice...and Mikado took it.

"Excuse me...I have to go to the bathroom." With that, Mikado slowly turned on heel so that he could swerve around the pillar, before breaking off into a mad sprint down a hall that extended to the left. There seemed to be more people that went down there than the right hallway, so perhaps there was an exit somewhere around there. He had gotten a decent start on the thugs, at least, because they had only just grasped what had happened and began giving chase. Thankfully, Mikado found himself nearing a right turn, which according to the sign that was posted on the wall, led up some stairs towards the noises of a city: A lot of cars, the clacking of shoes on pavement, and people chatting. With relief spreading through his body, the Ryuugamine teen rounded the corner with a grin on his face...

Only to see that this particular exit was locked up for the night, and the security panel near it was vacant as well.

"There you are, you little shit..." Came 'Bozu's' mutter, as the trio had caught up to Mikado, looked annoyed and a bit worn out as well. It was then, that Mikado noticed his own shape...his legs were aching painfully, and his stamina was depleted. He was also cornered by three people, with one for sure being armed. Letting his steadily rising anger fade into depression, Mikado didn't even get a chance to cry out before a hand clamped a rag over his nose, and darkness began consuming him...the last thing he saw was the taller man pulling out his cellphone once more, and remarking how they'd be late for their actual job.

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So, this is the end of the prologue...I wanted to make it longer...but I really had no idea where else to take it. Whoopsie...Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed it so far. Have a nice day!~


	2. Shadow Savior

An Hour Too Late

Summary: Masaomi Kida was generally on time for any event or outing he planned. He was like this to 'please the ladies', as he put it. However, in this instance, he sleeps in for an extra hour...on the day that his best friend, Mikado Ryuugamine, arrives at Ikebukuro. Taking advantage of this 'misfortune', Izaya Orihara makes his move, and brings the young man closer to him much faster than anyone could anticipate.

Hello again! I would like to thank everyone for their support...it actually made me blush a bit to think that my story was doing this well. I would especially like to thank those that reviewed...and one did bring up something pretty interesting I hadn't thought about: Pairings. I had thought about where I could take this, and came up with some pretty interesting solutions. However, the only pairing I will give away is the obvious Shinra/Celty pairing. I just can't see them with anyone else. Anyway, here is the actual first chapter...I hope you all enjoy! I should probably up the rating too...darn it.

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Chapter 1: Shadow Savior

_[Present Day (Sunday, April 13, 2008), 20:20]_

Within the near-empty Kida residence, the only sound that could be heard was the ringing of an alarm clock, which had went off in Masaomi Kida's room. Lazily, the boy reached out his hand from under the covers, and gently smacked the snooze button. Pulling the blanket off of him, the boy yawned as he hopped off of the bed, proceeding to walk to his bathroom. Staring into the mirror, Masaomi couldn't help but mess with his bed-head, flattening it down so that it looked 'good for the ladies'. With a grin, Masaomi observed himself, making silly faces and the likes.

He had dyed-blond hair, which was parted to both sides with his bangs hanging down in the middle, but let the back and sides fall back more, in order to show his pierced ears. His eyes were more squared than rounded, and held playful honey-colored pools within them. He, like his best friend Mikado, was of an average height and build, although he was a bit taller and more muscular. Deciding that play-time was over, he walked back into his room, and slipped on his white hoody, black jeans, and grey shoes. He had been looking forward to this day forever, and it was quite evident judging by the boy's even-happier-than-normal-demeanor. Many would assume that the flirtatious boy had finally landed a date with some of the older women he 'introduced' himself to around Sunshine. Those that knew better might believe it's because he was actually shown sympathy and not turned down quite as harshly as normal.

However, women were not part of his exceptionally good mood today, not yet at least. No, today was the day he finally got to see his best friend after nearly six years. The best part is, they would be living together! Masaomi couldn't wait to meet his 'little brother' at the train station. In fact, the pseudo-blond knew that when Mikado stepped off the train, nervous and afraid, he would be there to perk the boy up. Then Mikado would get all happy and excited, and Masaomi would lead him all around town.

'Heh...perhaps I'll even take him to Sunshine...' Masaomi thought, thinking of how embarrassed Mikado would be when he learned all about said area. Although, Mikado's innocence was what really drew Masaomi in and made him protective of the boy. He, whom had walked in the darkness and lingered there, was like a moth to the boy's 'light'. It's why Masaomi would make sure Mikado never saw the worst side of the city...and why he'd keep the raven-haired boy away from Shinjuku at all costs.

He didn't want to even think of what would happened if **_that man_** found out about Mikado.

Closing his eyes, Masaomi instead decided to focus on the task at hand. Mikado would be arriving at the station at eight-thirty in the evening...so he would have time for a few detours along the way. There was also the need to prepare dinner and all of that other things for Mikado when they got back. After all, he didn't want to start off the boy's experience with fast food...that would just seem cheap. Marching into the kitchen with the idea to prepare some grilled chicken and rice, Masaomi hummed a bit, bringing out the ingredients.

"You know..." Masaomi paused, thinking aloud as he brought his hand to his chin, "This should leave me the right amount of time to flirt with a few girls on the way to meet Mikado. Maybe I can even get a few of them there with me to shock him...after all, it's only seven-twenty right n-" His eyes had darted to the clock, and he paled quite a considerable amount. The reason?

The clock read eight-twenty-five. He only had five minutes to get to the station. With that realization, Masaomi's neighbors were introduced to a very colorful rant as the boy sped out the door, praying to God that he wasn't too late. 'Oh man...what if I am? Poor Mikado is going to be all alone, and he won't know what to do...what if he hates me? Oh shit, even I hate myself right now...I can't believe that I set my alarm clock to the wrong time...dammit, our parents are going to kill me if anything happens to him...'

In his haste, he didn't even notice that he had passed by a man in a black fur-trimmed jacket. The very man he was afraid of.

"Maa maa..." The man began, running a hand through his spiked black hair as his scarlet eyes focused on the fading boy's form. "I wonder what has got Kida-kun in such a hurry..." With that, the man shrugged, and walked away. He had his own mission to deal with tonight, so teasing Masaomi could come later. After all, he needed to spend time with all of his other precious humans. 'Although...perhaps I will look into it sooner rather than later. Masaomi hasn't looked that worried every since that little incident...' Anticipation now building up within him, the man seemed positively pleasant as he continued his trip to the rendezvous point he had set with his courier.

_[Present Day (Sunday, April 13, 2008), 20:47]_

Many of the people that had lived within Ikebukuro had merely thought of the Black Rider as something of an 'urban legend'. The few that actually saw the creature zooming around on it's motorbike late at night could only describe it as 'supernatural'; It's shadow seemed to be alive, and instead of a roaring engine, the bike gave off more of a banshee-like wail. Although, none of them had ever seen the inhuman being do more than simply ride around the streets...so many by-standers were quite surprised when they saw it dutifully trailing a black van that was desperately trying to get away. It's shadows seemed to be more...ferocious than anything, as it swiftly maneuvered the streets in order to try to get closer to the vehicle.

This had been going on for about twenty minutes now, and the Black Rider was showing no signs of giving up as they zipped through the various streets of Ikebukuro. Inside of the van, were the three kidnappers: Nakura, Kitomaru, and Bozu. Nakura was driving, Kitomaru was in the passenger seat, and Bozu was in the back seat looking over into the trunk portion every few seconds. They so desperately wished they had never taken on this mission...after all, the Black Rider was often compared to a demon of the night, looking for sinners to devour with it's darkness.

"H-Hey, Nakura, ugh...Morita..." Kitomaru stuttered out, looking in the rear-view mirror with wide eyes, his face having contorted into one of fear, "How the hell are we going to escape the Black Rider..?" The newly identified Morita didn't bother to respond. The only identification that he had heard the inquiry was the tightening of his fists on the steering wheel, and the biting of his bottom lip. In all honesty, Morita did not have an answer. He believed the Black Rider was merely toying with them until it got bored and did off with them. He also knew that sharing this thought with his teammates would only breed unnecessary fear and make the ride even more annoying should they escape from the rider. Sighing a bit, he decided to look into the rear-view mirror himself, only to feel all of the color drain from his face.

Behind them, the Black Rider was actually gaining. It had a lithe form, clad in a white-gilded black jumpsuit...which seemed to not even reflect light. The only non-monochromic thing about it was it's yellow cat-eared helmet. It had blue outlines on the ear and in the back, and the graffiti 'S' on the upper left side seemed to be a darker blue than the rest. It could have been mistaken for a normal human being, if it weren't for what was happening behind it. It's shadow seemed to be a cluster, waving about madly like a beast searching for it's next meal. Suddenly, the high-pitched scream was heard again, as the Black Rider revved it's engine.

"Oi...Kanazawa..." Morita muttered, eyes narrowing as they began to approach traffic. There was currently a red light, and none of the cars ahead were going to be moving for a bit. If they stopped now, they wouldn't stand a chance of getting away.

"Yeah, Morita?" Bozu/Kanazawa replied, indicating that his name was an alias as well. He looked slightly afraid of the look in his partner's eyes. Morita had only gotten that look once, and that was when one of the people that they tried to kidnapped told them 'they were only getting rid of others to try to validate their own meaningless lives'. For whatever reason, this had sent Morita over the edge, and they had to pry him off of the man. Needless to say, their target was received with a broken nose and a cracked rib or two.

"Make sure that our 'guests' don't wake up, alright?" With that, Morita easily exceeded the speed limit. As he floored it, he drove onto the shoulder lane, bypassing all of the cars waiting at the light. Through this action, they had received quite a bit of negative responses. This included blaring horns, the middle finger, and other wonderful obscenities people were now screaming at them. Morita simply shook it all off, because in the very least, they had lost the Black Rider. Apparently it had respect for the law. Good thing that they didn't.

With a satisfied grin becoming apparent on his face, Morita slowed down so that they were back at the speed limit. It wouldn't do them well if they attracted the attention of the cops...that would be an instant sentence right there with the 'merchandise' in the back. Perhaps even more if they found out their involvement with the other mission people that were abducted from their homes and the streets. He was actually quite thankful for his job...barely any effort, and they got paid handsomely.

"H-hey...is it all finally over?" Kitomaru inquired, looking expectantly at their brown-haired driver. The only response he got was a sharp nod, which led to a round of cheering from both Kitomaru and Kanazawa. They were in the home stretch! Now all they needed to do was take the back road towards their employer's company, and they could get their money. They wanted to put the 'Black Rider' business behind them. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to want to be left behind...they learned this as they went under the last overpass to get onto the back road. The second they got onto the other side, they heard the phantom screech again. Kitomaru had actually screamed as he looked out the window, because the Black Rider had lunged it's bike over the overpass walls, and was now falling onto the road below.

As it landed perfectly, they found themselves right where they started. They were on the run from their pursuer...and this had royally pissed Morita off. He was quite arrogant in his abilities, and his beliefs...so being proven wrong...being shown they were not clear yet...it made the rage boil within him. His own ego, which many said would be his undoing, had influenced him in the worst possible way. Eyes once more narrowing, this time into slits, Morita seemed to audibly grind his teeth together, gaining the attention of both of his partners. They seemed to recognize the sign, because they tried to dissuade him from doing anything foolish that could end up in all of them getting killed.

Deciding that he would just ignore their worries, his pride being far too important to worry about their safety, Morita gained a nasty sneer. He quickly jerked the wheel to the left, in order to perform a U-turn. This action put them in a position to where they would be going towards the Black Rider. They were going to crash into it! "Morita...WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING?" Kanazawa screamed, backing up as much as he could against the seat. Unfortunately, this didn't seem to intimidate the Black Rider in the slightest. In fact, it just seemed to speed up more, extending it's right hand as a mass of shadows began to cluster, forming an object of sorts.

"NOW DIE, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Morita roared, his eyes seeming to shine with madness. As he neared the Black Rider, he twisted towards the left, planning to smack it away with the van's end. However, when he did this, the Black Rider seemed to make the bike lunge, letting it's back tire hit the top of the car. Rebounding forward, it revealed the ethereal pitch-black scythe within it's right hand. The blade seemed to be made of a gas-like essence, because instead of a solid shape, it seemed to shimmer. Spinning it's bike in the air, the Black Rider quickly swung, leveling off the top of the van. As this happened, the stone-grey tarp which was taking up the back of the trunk had flown off, revealing two figures sprawled out across the back of the van.

One was the prone figure of Mikado, whom was still under the effect of the chloroform he had been subjected to earlier. The other was a young woman whom appeared to be about his age. Her hair was a light mahogany color, and was tied up into large, frizzled pigtails. Her attire consisted of a light-red blouse, dark blue short-shorts, and a white unbuttoned jacket that stretched just a bit longer than said shorts. Her eyes were the most peculiar thing, however. Her chocolate-colored eyes were hazed over, as if she were only semiconscious.

The Black Rider seemed to notice the two as well, for it retracted the shadows that were poised to slash the vehicle's tires. Instead, it twitched it's right hand, and a myriad of black ropes seemed to begin to well up underneath it's bike. The kidnapper's van, having been slashed with such force, had began to spin. If nothing was done, they would go through the railing on the side of the road, and fall down the drop-off that was ahead. Morita began to scream, desperately trying to regain control of the van as it headed dangerously towards the edge. 'Well, this is it...' Morita thought, squinting his eyes shut as he braced for what would await, 'I'm going to die. Die at the hands of this whatever-the-fuck-it-is...'

Much to his surprise, the crash never came. Morita had opened his eyes, and found himself staring into a net of shadows that had strung together and caught the vehicle before it had collided with the railing. The net itself seemed to begin to weave around the tires as well, keeping it from going into reverse now that the vehicle had stabilized. In other words, they were at the Black Rider's mercy.

"T-the fuck just happened...?" Kitomaru muttered out, clutching his chest as he tried to get his breathing under control. Kanazawa had passed out from the shock, and was currently strung across the back seat. To be honest, Morita was wondering the same thing. He had expected the Black Rider to just let them fall to their deaths. As he contemplated why, he glanced into his side mirror. The sight he saw made him wish that they had just been allowed to fall to their deaths. The Black Rider had hoped off it's motorbike, and was quickly advancing towards the driver's side, the dark essence of it's scythe dissipating in order to create a sort of veil behind it. Preparing himself for what he thought was to come, he felt relieved and surprised when he only heard the soft tapping on the window, as opposed to glass being brutally smashed with a blunt object. As he shakily tilted his head to gaze upon the rider, he was surprised to see a PDA being thrust against the window.

[_Hello there. I'm just letting you know that I'll be taking the two captives you have in the back of your vehicle. Hopefully, you take a lesson from the mistake you made today...because I can assure you, the police will NOT be as nice as I am._] Was what was displayed on the screen. Morita could do nothing but nod at the rider's declaration. What choice did he have, anyway? As he was about to submit, the egotistical part of his mind acted up once more, and he felt a rush of adrenaline come over him. When the rider turned around, he quickly slammed open the door, letting it slam into the creature with all of the might he could muster. Not even bothering to check if the shadow-wielder went down or not, Morita withdrew his knife and simply slashed downwards, believing he had won.

Winning, however...was the farthest thing from his reach. The Black Rider proved that when it caught his knife wrist with a surprisingly firm grasp. Jerking the arm behind his back, the rider slipped it's free arm around it's attacker's neck. Applying pressure to both his neck and wrist, Morita was forced to drop the knife on the ground. As this happened, the pressure stopped, and the lead kidnapper found himself turned around once more. That is when his breath left him, for there was a sharp blow that jabbed against his stomach. As he fell on all fours, he felt the shadows restrain him, curling up his limbs. There was also a spike from said shadows that was pointed directly at the base of his neck, poised to impale it should he try anything. Lifting his head up to glance at the beast that had dominated him, he was once more surprised to find it's PDA practically smashed against his face.

[_You are either unrealistically brave, or inhumanly unintelligent. I was being quite merciful up until now, but you forced me to take action against your little stunt...had my boss not ordered for me to only 'scare you', I assure you, I would show you my true might. Now, I am taking your prisoners, and you will be left here for an hour or so, trapped. Both of your friends seemed to pass out from the fear I have instilled, and you would do well to remember that I'll ALWAYS be watching...so I'll know if you try to do your little human trafficking business again._] In order to finalize her promise, the spike that was under Morita's throat extended just a bit more, poking him in the neck. Walking towards the back and opening the partially broken trunk hatch, the Black Rider tilted it's head in confusion. The girl was now fully awake, and backed up against the back seat as the rider moved closer.

"S-stay back! I won't l-let you kill me too!" The girl spluttered, pressing against the seat. The boy still seemed to be unconscious, so in the very least, he would be easy to get. As it reached into the car, the girl screamed and brought her legs to her chest, trying to escape a grasp that wasn't even aimed at her. Shaking it's head at the girl, the Black Rider began to pull Mikado out of the car. He was really light, and was quite easy to move...until the girl grasped him and tried pulling him from it. "You won't take him either, you monster!"

Actually feeling annoyed, the Black Rider whipped out it's PDA from within it's jumpsuit. Typing as fast as it could, it then showed the girl what was written. [_You know, girl, I actually just saved you. I'm taking you both to a safe place...I believe you had an appointment with the 'real' Nakura. This guy is a fake. As for the boy, he'll probably be brought to the hospital after I drop you off. If I meant you any harm, do you think I would save you?_] Hopefully, the girl saw it's reasoning. It was running late for another appointment it made, and arguing about something so silly with a little girl was not helping her barely controlled temper.

"F-fine...I'll go with you...and my name isn't girl! It's Rio Kamichika, and if you try anything, I'll jump off your bike!" With that, the girl let go of Mikado, and jumped out of the car. When she went out of the Black Rider's vision, and was assured that she wasn't looking, it face palmed at the inability to look into logic. Although it could understand the amount of stress that had just been placed on the girl, it was starting to get agitated more and more by the situation. Hoisting Mikado over her shoulder, she continued towards her bike, where Rio was waiting. Hopping onto the motorbike, the Black Rider pet it a bit, before sliding Mikado in front of her. Motioning for Rio to get on, it revved the engine once more, letting the cry ring through the street. Rio shuddered a bit, but had climbed on anyway. As she did, she found a wisp surround her head before materializing into a helmet, and noticed the same had been done to Mikado.

Now that everything was taken care of, they quickly zoomed away from Morita and his gang. Rio seemed to relax gradually as her arms were around the Black Rider's waist, watching the city pass them by at a speed she had never felt. 'It's actually...insane...' She thought, closing her eyes a bit as she leaned into her savior's back, 'I can't believe that I'm actually...riding on the Black Rider's bike. It's like a dream...or a nightmare...' With that thought, she felt a bit more at ease. The Black Rider didn't want to hurt her. She could trust it...for now.

_[Present Day (Sunday, April 13, 2008), 20:42]_

Masaomi had rushed through the busy streets of Ikebukuro so that he could arrive at the Tobu Tojo line as quickly as possible. Even at the speed he had been running, he had arrived much later than he would have liked to admit. Was he really that out of shape? When he was in middle school, he could have easily made it in under ten minutes...but now, he had been too slow. Despite the many things he had done in order to get here such as: Bumping into a ton of people on the sidewalks, which had regrettably included some very cute older women; Literally lunging through moving traffic, praying to God that he was not hit or caused an accident; He even ran into the infamous Shizuo Heiwajima without an apology or anything...which Masaomi knew would find a way to bite him in the ass later.

As he rushed down the stairs, nearly falling as he did, he felt the panic within him increase. What if Mikado had turned around and left? What if he never wanted to speak to Masaomi again? What if...he was dead? All of these questions had popped up in Masaomi's head...and the pseudo-blond felt the need to cry. He didn't ever want anything to happen to Mikado...and now anything that had happened was entirely his fault. Arriving on the basement level of the station, where the trains were, Masaomi quickly began to glance around. There was no people that were bumped into followed by a hurried apology. There were no stumbling boys that had gotten clumsy while trying to avoid attention. There were no slightly shaken up people leaning against the walls or pillars...There was no Mikado.

That realization had made Masaomi realize he had never been as scared as he was in his life. Feeling the wetness began to build up in the corner of his eyes, he quickly ran towards the administrative office, and found the station master. Panting a bit for he had expended all of his energy just getting to the station in a hurry, he took a moment to catch his breath before asking if he had seen the boy anywhere. He had even gone as far as describing him down to ever last known detail. Unfortunately, the station master replied that he had seen no young people that matched Mikado's description. Letting a bit of tears roll down his cheek, Masaomi quickly thanked the man and turned away.

"This is it...huh..?" Masaomi questioned himself, having sat down against the very pillar Mikado was leaning on earlier. He currently had out his cellphone, and was staring longingly at a picture of the two when they were younger. Masaomi had his arms wrapped around Mikado's neck, grinning brightly towards the camera with wide eyes. Mikado was blushing a bit, having one eye closed as their faces were close. Closing it, Masaomi stuffed his cellphone into his jacket pocket, before standing up. Flipping his hood over his head, he began the journey back to his home...hoping that nobody could see him cry.

_[Present Day (Sunday, April 13, 2008), 21:07]_

The rest of the trip with the Black Rider went rather smoothly for Rio. She was quite content with the lack of bumps that were usually found on over-travelled city roads, and it wasn't cold for her despite her rather showy shorts. The Black Rider seemed to have some sort of comforting presence as well...but Rio didn't know why she felt at ease with the jumpsuit-clad legend. All she knew, is that it was better being drugged and sold off to the highest bidder, and immensely preferable to sitting down with her parents, dealing with the lie that they lived. When they arrived at their destination, Rio felt the shadows remove themselves from her head, and was once more introduced to the bright PDA screen.

[You'll find the real Nakura on top of this building...I have to wait for him to come down, so I certainly hope he doesn't keep you too long...] With that, Rio flashed an apologetic smile to the rider. Didn't she know that she and Nakura were to die together? That is what they had agreed on, after all. She had met Nakura on an online suicide help forum, which was set up in order to try to prevent such tradgedies from happening. Although, some that had joined seemed to find themselves incurable...and some even sought other people to end their grief with them. That was how she met Nakura...on one of the chatrooms available on the site...

_[Two weeks ago(Sunday, March 30, 2008), 12:52]_

Rio had been surfing a help site she had found for those with depression and suicidal thoughts for quite awhile, a scowl on her face. All of the 'admins' that she had messaged were just doctors and nurses, doing their job. They didn't give her 'real advice'...they didn't give her solutions. They just gave her the whole 'you'll be missed if you're gone' speech. They told her that life was better than death. They told her that her parents loved her, and that's why they kept secrets from her. They told her that she shouldn't worry about something, and focus on her own life to try and find something brighter. They didn't realize that to Rio, her family was her life. Not her friends, not shopping, not 'boys'. She loved her family, and up until this point, she thought they loved her. Although that all came crashing to the ground, when she found out their family was a lie. They lived on pretenses and falsities.

Rio thought that they weren't like all of the families they saw on drama-TV, where there were plenty of mistakes and no compassion. She thought her parents were good people, people she could look up to and respect. She wished that she had never found out...that she could still live with the wool over her eyes...but unfortunately, time cannot be turned back.

Rio originally discovered the lie when she had come to her father's office. He had left in such a hurry that he forgot the bento that his wife had made him. It was filled with all of his favorites, and some candy as well. Her mother was so thoughtful and loving to her family...it made Rio grin as she inspected it. She had asked to take it to him, seeing as she was on the way to her friend's house and all that. Not to mention, she loved visiting her father at work. He was the manager of his division, and seeing him be professional made Rio proud of her father. He was her role model, after all. When she arrived at the building, she was quickly let through by the nice receptionist at the front desk, knowing that Rio could find her way to the third floor. She had been there enough times to know where her own father's office was. She was excited to see his face when she saw just what her mother had packed for him...

Until she actually arrived at the door. As she reached out to grasp the handle, she strangely heard moaning coming from the room...that of her father's, and another woman's. Letting her eyes go wide with shock, she froze in place...she couldn't believe what she was hearing. She refused to believe it! There was no way her father would do that to her mother...there was no way he would betray them like that. Yet as she heard the moans escalate, she quickly dropped the lunch into the garbage bin nearby, and ran off. She felt sick to her stomach...and the tears just kept leaking from her eyes. How could he do this to his family...he was the one that told her family came before all else! How could he be such a hypocrite...and be intimate with a woman he didn't marry?

Yet every night, he would come home, cheerful smile as always. He would walk through the door with his briefcase in hand, take his shoes off, and dutifully kiss his wife. They would sit in the living room and watch TV together, holding a conversation every once-in-awhile, usually about meaningless things. Then, they would all sit together at the dining room, and simply chat about whatever topic they didn't get to before. However, it infuriated Rio when her father talked about his work. That pang of hatred thumped loudly in her heart, as he spoke of the occasional 'business meetings' and 'inter-office parties'. She knew that he was leaving out the 'party' he was having with the woman (or women) from other offices. What was worse, was that she knew her mother did nothing to deserve this.

That's why Rio decided that her mother deserved to know the truth...deserved to know that she was being lied to every day. She snuck into her father's office, and had taken several pictures of him with the other woman. Even after she stuffed them in with the daily mail for her mother to see, nothing had happened. Things went on like normal, and it made Rio aware that her family's love was fake. That's what led her to the self-help website, and eventually, a chatroom for troubled people. That's when she met Nakura.

As they got to talking, she found herself enjoying the man's presence completely. He complimented her for being such a brave soul, and stated that he didn't know what he would do if he was in her position. She didn't know why, but Rio felt herself having a connection with this Nakura fellow. Talking to him made her heart soar...and she believed she might have even developed a crush on him. After about a week or so of talking, they had eventually gotten comfortable enough with giving out their numbers to the other.

During the beginning week of April, she confided in Nakura that her life no longer held meaning, because she was going through depression. Rio admitted that she didn't see the 'light at the end of the tunnel' that all of the doctors told her about, and that she didn't think she would ever be able to escape her pain. She expected him to give her the same advice...but surprisingly enough, he said he felt the same way. It as only two days ago that he had asked her if she wanted to die with him. He said that he felt if he were going out, why not go out with someone he cared for? It made sense, and Rio agreed to meet him on Sunday...the supposed day of the Lord. It was quite ironic to her, really. She did recall Nakura say he was an atheist at some point, so it made a bit of sense given his humor.

_[Present Day (Sunday, April 13, 2008), 21:12]_

When Rio had reached the top of the staircase that led to the roof level, she didn't know what she had been expecting. On the other side of that door, could lay another kidnapper, or some old man, or maybe even a kid like her. Taking a deep breath to try to calm her nervousness, she had opened the door slowly. Walking through, she couldn't help but feel angered once more. Out of every possible thing that crossed her mind, she certainly didn't expect nothing. Perhaps Nakura got tired of waiting for her and left? What if this was all just some cruel joke set up for her? She was about to get angry and leave, when a smooth voice reached her ears.

"Ah...would you be Magenta?" It inquired, and Rio turned around to face the owner of the voice. She was surprised to see a young man standing behind her. He had ebony hair that was parted on the left, spiking down. His eyes were a burning scarlet, filled with something that Rio couldn't identify. His outfit was strange, though. He had on a black V-neck, with blue jeans. His jacket was a sleeker colored black, and had a white fur trim on the waist, hood, and sleeves. However, Rio found him strangely attractive...perhaps it was the calm smirk on his face that really got her?

"I-I would be her...er, I am Rio Kamichika, and I'm also Magenta online..." She answered, a blush coming across her face as she brought her hand towards her mouth. The man simply walked over to her, bowing before her. As he straightened himself up, he had grabbed her hand, and brought it to his lips.

"I am Nakura, it's a pleasure to meet you, Rio-chan." He spoke, giving her a charming smile. Rio gasped, and she instantly felt the heat rush to her face, something that made Nakura start laughing about. "My my, you're certainly cute when you're flustered!" He said, his eyes becoming soft. Moving forward, he wrapped her in his arms, allowing her to do the same. "You know...it's a shame this world is rotten...I would have liked to gotten to know a pretty girl like you more..." He whispered into her ear.

She seemed to simply melt as he spoke those words. Sure, she had been flirted with a lot, but those were just with people whom wanted to get inside her pants. Now, a sweet kindred soul was holding her and comforting her...before he died with her. It was the perfect ending in Rio's opinion. As they let each other go, Rio noticed that she still felt a bit nervous about what had happened earlier. and instantly became on guard as she realized that this guy may not be whom he appears...backing away, she instantly narrowed her eyes, surprising the man before her.

"Are you really Nakura?" She questioned, preparing to fight back if anything went sour. She thought he would get angry, or simply brush off her concern...but the guy before her actually appeared to look hurt by her question.

"Of course I am...don't you trust the person you're going to disappear with?" He reversed the situation on her just like that. Rio instantly felt like a horrible person for making Nakura feel pained. She looked ashamed, and nodded a bit. However, she felt his warm hands upon her shoulders, and looked up to see him giving her yet another beautiful smile. "You shouldn't look so guilty...it's alright to be suspicious...after all..." He continued, gradually leading her towards the edge. As he hopped over the railing that was present, and led her over, he turned to her and grinned.

"After all what...?" She asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"After all...I was the one whom had sent the kidnappers after you. I even gave them a way to fool you, by telling them all of your dirty little secrets!" He declared, his grin having gotten even wider as she stared at him, taking it all in. She began to back away from him, and actually looked about read to cry. How could she have been deceived so easily? She thought Nakura really cared...but all along, he was just like her family! He was nothing more than a liar...someone that took joy in her suffering. It intensified in her mind that everyone was nothing but liars...but the anger she felt at him in particular was overwhelming.

"I...I can't believe you..." She began, only to be halted by Nakura as he raised his hand. He looked a bit bored as she talked, almost as if he wasn't paying attention. Although, once she stopped, he simply smirked.

"Now now...that sounds a bit mean! Don't you think you should be more grateful towards me? After all, didn't you feel relieved once you had your life saved from those vicious kidnappers?" He questioned, and chuckled a bit when Rio looked down towards the ground. "See? That's what I was talking about. You should be thankful towards me, seeing as I proved you didn't want to die. If you did, you wouldn't have tensed up when you were grabbed by the kidnappers, nor would you have been suspicious of me. You would have simply went with it. Yet here you are, with someone you met online, on the roof of an abandoned apartment complex. So do tell me, what is it that drove you here, when you could have just as easily died alone? You might have even had a bit more fun. Perhaps carving a message on your wall, blaming your parents? That's what I would have done if I wanted to go out because of that! They would have loved it, don't you think?" She didn't know how to reply to that. "Come on...what's wrong?"

"I...I..."

"Stuttering isn't really polite, you know. I had gone through the trouble of planning a fantastic evening, even going as far as having you saved when you so rudely decided to be late." With that, he sent her a fake annoyed look, "Yet here you are, not even wanting to talk to me...That's not very nice of you. Didn't your parents teach you better? You should at least know some common courtesy...or perhaps, you didn't think I was worth it..." With that, he switched to a hurt look for a few moments, before grinning once more.

"Why would you do this? How does this benefit you?" Rio was sick of hearing him insult her and her will...she wanted some answers! She believed that she deserved them after what this monster was putting her through.

"Why would I do such a thing to you, you ask? Well that answer is simple...for me, anyway. Allow me to make it easy for you to understand. I love humans." He grinned a bit at the disgusted face she was making. "Oh relax, not you individually...I love humanity as a whole. You're all just so interesting, and it excites me to no end to see you in such a position that you don't know how to deal with. As for how it benefits me...well, if you were to go and kill yourself off for such a stupid reason, I would be out of some entertainment for the evening. I don't see how you could get so angry at me...I'm your savior after all~" Seeing her look torn between being hurt, and rage, he carried on, "Did you really think I would die with you? That you individually are worthy enough to perish alongside me? You're nothing but a petulant brat. You thought that you were special, didn't you? You thought your problems entitled you to think that the world should feel sorry for you, because obviously, nobody else is going through what you are. Nobody could understand the pain that you were feeling...that your emotions were unique." Adopting a rather serious look, still retaining his smirk, he tilted his head towards the side. Watching her look down and back up against the railing, he knew she saw the large blood stain that was on the ground. "You saw it, didn't you? All of those other people thought they were special too. Yet, they were just that. A spot. A fleck in existence, like all of you other humans. You're all equal before your creator, are you not?"

"I was hurting...do you know how much it pains someone to go through that?" She wanted to hit him. This bastard was overstepping his boundaries...maybe she could smack him straight off the building and he'd see just how 'being a spot' felt.

"No, I suppose I wouldn't...but you're missing the point. You're nothing but a normal human being. You say you hate your parents for keeping secrets and going on with their lives? All humans do that. They lie, cheat, and steal in order to survive. Would you think someone hating you for having a little thing called 'privacy' would be irrational? If so, you're just as much of a hypocrite as you said your father was. Even if Mommy and Daddy don't love each other, the world still goes 'round, and we all get on with our lives...You just wanted attention, and this was your opportunity..."

"SHUT UP!" She lunged, preparing to slap his face. However, he simply caught her wrist and cackled as she nearly fell over the edge of the building. A cold sweat began to break out through her body, as Rio eyed the blood of those whom had chosen the same path she had. Yet, she hadn't fallen. By some miracle, the person she just tried to kill had not let go of her.

"Do you want me to release your wrist, Rio?" He questioned, his voice soft but still mocking. "This is what you want, right? You're only a plummet away from achieving your dreams. Just tell me what you want..." With that, he let his grip slacken a bit, causing fear to erupt throughout Rio. However, she said nothing. She knew that he wouldn't let her die, even if she wanted to right now. Confident, she turned to glare defiantly at him...but he released her wrist. "Oops~" Was all he said, as she began to fall. He didn't look apologetic in the slightest.

She was falling, and quite fast at that. As she did, she thought about everything she would actually be leaving behind. Her parents...she didn't hate them, and she knew they didn't hate her. Had she really been doing it all for attention? Her friends...they would probably cry a lot...and beat up all of her peers that would dare to call her a coward for dying like this. All of her other family members, teachers, acquaintances, dreams for the future...all of that flashed through her mind, as she accepted her end. Letting one last tear escape her eye, she closed them, and prepared for the darkness to take her.

"Momma...daddy...I'm sorry..."

_[Present Day (Sunday, April 13, 2008), 21:06]_

Masaomi had gotten home after a rather extended walk. Thankfully, he was only stopped once, and that was by Kadota's gang. They were really nice, asking him if he was okay and such. They even offered him a ride home, although he had declined. He just wanted to lay down and sleep...but he knew he would be getting none of that tonight. His and Mikado's parents were trusting him to look after his 'little brother'...and he failed. Just like in middle school, when he failed _her_, and ended up getting her injured. He had no idea where Mikado even was...he just knew he was gone.

Checking his phone for any texts he may have gotten from the boy, or any notification he had returned to Saitama, he found himself depressed when there was none. What if he had stopped talking to Masaomi altogether? What if he wasn't even alive to ignore Masaomi? At least _she_ had gotten away with her life intact. Although, it seems fate was not nearly as kind to Mikado. He didn't get why, either. He had never done anything wrong to anybody. Mikado was just Mikado...sweet, innocent, and too gullible for his own good.

"You know...if you are out there listening...someone, anyone...I don't care what..." Masaomi called out, his eyes closed as he did so. "Please...make sure my little brother is safe..." With that, he curled up into a ball, and prepared for another round of tears. He knew that he deserved the pain and guilt that were clawing away at him. He had proved once more he was a failure. Nothing but a failure...just like Izaya Orihara had said. It cost him much more this time...and all he could do, was sit here and cry. It made Masaomi feel weak, something he detested. He didn't know what to do...he didn't know where to go...and he had nobody to talk to. He was alone...and it was all his fault.

_[Present Day (Sunday, April 13, 2008__),__ 21:24]_

Izaya had walked down the stairs of the building, grin on his face as always. He loved all of his interactions with his humans...it was always so exciting, and even when he knew what was going to happen, just seeing it all play out in front of him was a rush. Perhaps it's why he 'saved' people. Just to see their response to his scheming, even if it was for the better. Flipping over the rail to get to a lower level quicker, Izaya wondered if Celty was still lingering around on her motorbike. He had plenty of things to discuss with her...maybe he could get a bit more information about herself out of her? It wasn't every day that he found himself acquainted with something that wasn't exactly human.

Reaching the entrance, Izaya strolled right out, only to raise an eyebrow as a shadow came sailing through the air, and impaling the door he had just walked out of. Tilting his head a bit at Celty, whom he could tell was absolutely livid, he let a smile come across his face. "So, what's got you all worked up this time, Celty-chan?" The rider simply walked right up to him, slipping the PDA out of her sleeve, and typed as fast as she could. Finishing her thought, she thrust it forward, so that he could read what she had 'said'.

[_I know that you are insane...but I never thought you'd sink as low as to let someone kill themselves! I thought you loved your humans!?_] With that, Izaya simply shrugged his shoulders and moved towards Celty's motorbike, staring at Mikado, whom was still unconscious. He was leaned over the handlebars, and was even drooling slightly. The very image made Izaya laugh, seeing as he knew exactly who the child was. Turning around to face Celty, he opened up his jacket a bit, smirking as she seemed to shudder.

"I do love all humans...but there are some that simply misunderstand my love, and follow what they believe to be is right...Although, I can assume you saved her, if you haven't actually struck me yet." Receiving a nod in response, Izaya grinned, "Excellent! I would actually feel a bit bad if you told me I had practically murdered someone. That might make me just as awful as Shizu-chan!" With that, he once again heard fingers meet plastic, and gazed over Celty's shoulder as she typed.

[_You know, you really shouldn't be so mean to Shizuo. He's really nice once you get past the temper and all that...He's like...a gentle giant._] Izaya just snorted as he read that. He wasn't mean to Shizuo...Shizuo was the one mean to him. He was merely acting out of self defense! Although, it didn't help that Izaya went out of his way to antagonize him ever since they first met. He viewed Shizuo as nothing more than a simple-minded beast, and Shizuo saw him as a parasite.

"Enough about that disgusting protozoan...what about the boy that's on the back of your bike?" Izaya inquired, before Celty walked over towards the unconscious Ryuugamine. In all honesty, she didn't know what to do with him. She could bring him back to their place, but then Shinra might corrupt him and/or do experiments on him...and if she showed up at the hospital with him, there would no doubt be tons of questions. That only left one option...which was almost as the first option. Izaya seemed to catch onto her train of thought, because he had moved right over towards the boy, picking him up with ease. "I'll just take him back to my place...he looks like he could be related to me anyway, so why not? Maybe I have a long-lost cousin!~" Not giving Celty the time to respond, he took off, disappearing into the night like a phantom.

'I swear...I will never understand that man...'

_[Present Day (Sunday, April 13, 2008__),__ 22:13]_

They had arrived at Izaya's spacious apartment in Shinjuku in a fairly decent time, considering that Izaya had carried Mikado the entire way. Thankfully, Shizuo wasn't out to throw vending machines at them, because Izaya didn't particularly want to lose this human. He was special, after all. Setting the boy down on the large black velvet couch, the ebony-haired man strolled over to his computer. Checking to see if Rio had made any further posts that could jeopardize any of his future fun, he also looked up the schedule for Raira Academy's entrance exams. They changed it every year, and had even postponed it this year, because one of the teachers that administrated the exam had passed away.

Why was he looking at this, when he had already graduated? Because he knew Mikado was TarouTanaka. He knew all sorts of things about the boy, having chatted with him for quite a long time online. It was some stroke of luck, but they actually got to have their 'IRL meet-up', like he had suggested. Even if it annoyed him to think the boy could have been sold off, and his plans would be ruined. He had plenty of options now, and it made Izaya bubble up with excitement. Come to think of it, the station master he paid off had said a blond-haired boy was looking for his current guest...and it dawned on him.

Masaomi Kida had been looking for Mikado Ryuugamine.

Spinning about in his chair, he quickly hopped off and sauntered over to another section of the room. This one was a triangle-shaped board, and had various game pieces from Chess, Checkers, and Shogi all placed about. Grabbing the shogi 'king', and placing it near the black checker, Izaya smirked at the implications of the move. It was something he had wanted ever since he had found out about the group all of those years ago.

If he played his cards right, he would have control of the Dollars through it's leader, Mikado Ryuugamine.

* * *

I had quite a bit of fun writing Izaya's character. Although, I made the Rio scene kinda dark...I had actually contemplated killing her off completely, but then I thought of how Celty would have reacted...and it just wouldn't match up for the plot later on. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and have a nice day/night, whatever time it is where you are.


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